"We want fairness," said Trump. "You can't say things that are false, knowingly false, and be able to smile as money pours into your bank account."

Trump has long threatened to sue people for perceived insults, but it is unclear whether he will be capable of following through on his promise.

Changing libel laws in the US would likely need the US Supreme Court to weigh in.

Thanks to Trump's appointment of Neil Gorsuch, the court now has a conservative majority, but may not necessarily fall in line behind the Republican president.

But his campaign could have a chilling impact nonetheless.

Since announcing his run for office, Trump has launched a sustained series of attacks on the US press, calling out unflattering coverage and encouraging supporters to attack individual journalists.

Many reporters covering the White House have received death threats and get regular hate mail from Trump supporters.

Stepping up his campaign, Trump has promised to hold "Fake News Awards" later this month.

"The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers on Wednesday, January 17th," he recently tweeted.

That and similar attacks recently prompted the Committee to Protect Journalists to name Trump as one of five leaders "who have gone out of their way to attack the press and undermine the norms that support freedom of the media.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)